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Severe cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are disproportionately affecting African American communities, according to a report published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Morning Rundown

"We don't think African Americans are more susceptible to getting infected," Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said Wednesday on NBC's "TODAY" show.

But she said her group was "very concerned" when it became clear that pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and asthma were associated with worse outcomes of the coronavirus.

Those underlying conditions tend to be more prevalent in communities of color, a finding that's been well documented in recent years.

But those stark differences become more apparent when the world is focused on an illness, in this case, the coronavirus.

Nearly 90 percent of those hospitalized patients in the CDC report had an underlying condition, with hypertension and obesity most commonly reported.

"The roots of health disparity based in racial and socio-economic status are long and deep-seeded, ranging from pre-existing health conditions to access to health care," Dr. Ben Singer, assistant professor of medicine in pulmonary and critical care at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said.

"A lot of this is being amplified because we're in the middle of a pandemic," Singer added.